Maybe Just One More Time
by Emibacevi
Summary: (One-Shot) Kratos Aurion unwillingly finds love again during the journey to the Tower of Salvation after loosing his love many years ago. Read & Review!


Author: Hello Again! Here's a story that I wrote awhile ago. I've decided to post it and see how it goes. It's a different couple. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia or any of the characters.

Summary: Kratos Aurion unwillingly finds love again after loosing it many years ago. It's a Kratos & OC fic and he may seem a bit out of character (sorry!) It's a one-shot.

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**_"Maybe Just One More Time"_**

_Hello, my name is Kratos Aurion. I felt it would be right to tell my story to someone. So, for anyone who is reading this...I am telling you. This is my story of how I found love again, after losing it tragically many years ago. I thought I would never feel that way again...but, sure enough, I was wrong. I guess I've said enough for now, maybe I should begin my story..._

The sun beamed overhead as our group headed out of Asgard, continuing the World Regeneration journey. It was a pleasant day. Clear skies could be seen over the widely spread tree tops.

It was a typical day for us; everyone in a good mood. Genis was making a comment about Lloyd's stupidity as he talked to him and Colette. Raine was...how can I put it...in her archeological mood, taking in her surroundings and rambling off bits of useless information. I, however, was silently thinking to himself...that is...until something caught my eye.

There lay a girl in an open area, eyes closed. I could not tell if she was breathing, and out of natural instinct, I ran to her.

"Hey, where is Kratos going?" I caught Lloyd saying as the distance between myself and the group expanded.

I ran as quickly as my legs would allow and finally reached the girl. My sprint stopped immediately, however, and I hesitated. I didn't know what had come over me. In my mind I was telling myself to go check on her, but my legs wouldn't allow it. Something about this girl had made me stop.

I looked back to her face, and was, yet again, stuck. She was such a lovely woman, who had silver blue hair and delicate features. From the position she was in it was hard to tell, but she seemed to be about an average height for a woman. She looked to be about 21, but her lips had lines of wisdom far beyond that age...

I mentally slapped myself for thinking of such things. I knew my love and affection would only be for... I slapped myself again. It was useless to be thinking of her now.

I gained control of myself and walked slowly over to the woman. I felt myself grow weak as I moved closer, but I ignored it. I bent down next to her to check if I could hear her breathing. To my relief, I heard slow breaths.

All of a sudden, her eyes flew open. This sudden action had sent me almost flying back, but I caught myself. The woman looked over at me, wide-eyed, and jumped backwards. When I got hold of the situation I came to realize she was in a fighting stance, possibly thinking I was an enemy. We looked at each other for a few moments, until I felt it was alright to speak.

"I apologize for startling you. I thought you had been injured," I said cooly.

My words made her lower her fists. She most likely detected I would cause her no harm. Her mood also quickly changed, for the frown she had formed upon seeing me was now in the form of a smile.

"Oh! Well, thank you for your concern, but I was just meditating. I'm fine." Her smile widened and she tilted her head slightly to the side.

The more she smiled, the more my resolve melted. How could I be having these feelings, when I promised myself I wouldn't ever again? But I wasn't going to be naive and say I wasn't feeling anything...that would be immature. I had a feeling this would become a complication for the mission. After realizing I was staring at her, I turned away.

"Well...cough...If you are fine, I shall be on my way," I said as I turned around to leave. The woman ran in front of me to block my exit.

"Sir...What is your name?" She asked with curious eyes. I should have turned away and said it did not matter and left to never see her again. But I didn't. Those eyes were just too mesmerizing.

"...Kratos Aurion," I said flatly, sounding annoyed by her presence, even though that was far from the truth. All the same, the woman's smile got, if possible, even wider. I move around her in attempt to leave again, but she stepped in front of me.

"My name is Melody."

As much as it pains me to admit it, the first thought in my mind was how lovely that name was, and how it fitted her so well.

A faint sound from the bushes drew me out of my thoughts. I spun around to face the direction of the noise, hand ready to withdraw my weapon. Though there was nothing to worry about, since I immediately recognized Lloyd's messy hair from behind the bush.

"Hey Kratos!" Lloyd said as his head popped up from where he was hiding.

"I'm sorry that we were spying Kratos," Raine began, "but I didn't feel it was right to interrupt."

Though I was obviously annoyed at our group, I answered with a nod and turned back to Melody.

"Now I think it is time that we leave," I said while I, yet again, made my way to leave.

"Oh come on Kratos, we don't have to leave just yet," Lloyd said, with what seemed to be a hint of teasing in his voice. Perhaps he had sensed my thoughts.

He made his way over to Melody and greeted her.

"Hi there! My name's Lloyd! And these are my friends, Genis, Colette, Raine, and of course, you already know Kratos." He winked in my direction. My, that boy can be a nuisance sometimes.

"Well it's nice to meet you all. My name is Melody," she answered with her, what had come to be usual, smile.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?" Genis inquired. That was the kind of thing Genis would always say. I must say though, that I was curious as to the answer the that question. I looked from Genis to Melody, waiting for a reply.

"Well...I come here to relax and train my body. It's kind of something I do daily..."

As she spoke on about her reason for being here, I couldn't help but realize that not only her looks, but also her voice sent me on an emotional haywire. I looked at her face and took in every bit of her features. Of course I knew that I would, again, slap myself for doing so...but how could I not.

I had always wondered what it would be like to love another woman. I had always tried to forgot of such an idea, and thought that it would be a waste of time. But, somehow it always came back to me, and now it were more present than ever...

"..Kratos...Kratos! Are you there!" I finally realized that Lloyd was bouncing in front of me frantically, trying to get my attention. Apparently it had taken a while because everyone was looking at me curiously. I could even see Melody blush slightly, obviously aware that I had been gazing upon her.

"Anyway, now that your back, Kratos, we can continue our conversation. Melody just asked what we were doing her and when we told her we were on the Regeneration journey, she offered to let us stay at her house for the night..." Raine explained in her usual manner.

"Do you have any objections?" Lloyd said, obviously mocking me, for that was something I said often.

"...," I made sure to send small glares to Lloyd to signal him to stop.

"That's wonderful. But could you all wait here for a moment before we go to my house. It is not in a state fit for the Chosen," Melody said as she smiled and began to run in the other direction. My eyes followed her until she was completely out of sight.

"Uh...Kratos? Are you alright?" Genis said, seemingly unaware of the reasons behind my peculiar behavior.

"It seems Kratos has become...how can I put it... "love-struck"... I suppose," Raine explained to Genis. I had been hearing what they had been saying, but had not been truly paying attention, or even looking away from where Melody had left, until I heard that comment.

"No. That is incorrect. My focus is on the journey at hand. I am not one to let my mind wander in such ways," I explained, while trying to keep my voice convincing and under control.

"Nice recover," Raine whispered to me with a slight smirk.

"I must say, Kratos, she is very pretty. Maybe you should see if you've got a chance with her," Lloyd teased as he elbowed my ribs. I could hear the Chosen giggle softly.

"Don't be foolish," I said sternly and walked away.

As I kept walking in search for a place to relax, and still be in close distance with everyone, I strained my ears in order to hear everyone...

"Geez...I was only joking. He doesn't have to get all angry about it." I heard Lloyd say.

Next I heard Colette speak. "But don't you think it's cute Lloyd. It's obvious that he really likes her."

Then Raine whispered to herself thoughtfully, "I never thought Kratos would be the type of guy to be so distracted by a woman..."

"Well I better go apologize anyway. The last thing I need is for Kratos to be ticked off at me."

Once I felt I had heard enough, I sat down next to a large tree, grateful for its shade. I felt very relaxed and dazed. I couldn't keep my thoughts off Melody. Every time I began to think about Cruxis or anything else, my mind drifted back to her.

She seemed so different from many other women. In my mind, she seemed just like...Anna. The idea of even thinking about betraying Anna sent pain up my spine. But then again, I knew she wouldn't want me wasting my time doing nothing...maybe she would want me to be happy and love again...Maybe she would be happy if I chose Melody, instead of just any other woman. Maybe it would be different because I wasn't trying to have the feelings...because they were just there. I tried not to think about it anymore.

But, unfortunately, I could not keep my mind off it. Something seemed strange about her though. She seemed...content...like something had gone wrong in her life...but, of course, being over 4,000 years old, how could I not notice such things. My thoughts, however, were interrupted again when someone yelled my name...

"Hey, Kratos!"

But of course, it was Lloyd. I watched him as he came towards me, obviously out of breath from running,

"Hey... I just wanted to say sorry about before. I was just joking around."

"...," I mumbled and got up to walk back to the rest of the group.

"Geez. What's his deal?" Lloyd whispered from behind before he came to walk back with me. Hmph...if only he knew.

"Kratos. Lloyd. How nice of you to join us," Raine said sarcastically as Lloyd and I reached the group. "We were just discussing that maybe Melody should join us on our journey. She seems a bit lonely."

The idea of her joining us brought nervousness into my body.

"How can you tell, Professor?" Lloyd asked simply.

"It's hard to explain. Let's just say it's an intuition and leave it at that," Raine said. I knew there was a bit more to it, but I thought it was best not to say anything.

"Uh, ok...sure," Lloyd replied.

"Sheesh Lloyd. You can be so stupid sometimes," Genis said with his hands on his hips.

"Ah, shut it, Genis. Anyway, I'm alright with her coming along. Is everyone else?"

"If you're fine with it Lloyd, then I am too. She seems like a very nice person," Colette said in her usual sweet tone

"Sure. Why not!" Genis said, pumping a fist into the air. Children...I will never understand why they get so excited about everything.

"I am fine with it as well. Who knows, maybe she shares similar interests as I," Raine said with distant look on her face. A strange woman, that one was.

Everyone looked at me for my answer, so I made up something so it would not sound as if I wanted her to come. "...Well, if she can defend herself..."

I was cut off by Lloyd. "Alright, then it's settled! We'll ask her later. But who should ask? We don't want to pressure her by asking as a group. You never know, she might not want to."

"Woah, Lloyd. You actually thought of something logical," Genis teased, as he patted Lloyd on the back.

Before Lloyd could counter, Raine spoke up.

"Indeed. I believe Kratos should be the one to ask. She seems to fancy you," she said as she looked towards me and smirked.

"..." I could feel my face heat up from the comment. I should have acted like it was nothing; but I knew that my complexion gave away that I was, in fact, very pleased and embarrassed. My reaction to the statement caused the children to giggle, something I found quite annoying.

"How can you tell, Professor?" asked Lloyd.

"I guess you could say, it's a female thing," Raine said.

"Yeah," piped Colette, "I kinda saw it too!"

I forced myself to gain control. It couldn't be that hard, could it? It wasn't that big of a deal, right? Hmph...What a naive thought.

"Well, if you insist, I'll see what I can do." My answer was followed by many cheers from Genis and Colette.

"Yeah. Now we're counting on you, Kratos," Lloyd said as he gave me a friendly punch in the arm.

Suddenly noises came from the bushes. I, as well as the rest of the group, looked over and readied our weapons.

"Hello Everyone." We saw Melody come out of the bushes, and everyone gave a sigh of relief and smiled.

"I am sorry it took so long. We can head there now if you like," she said sweetly. "You know, Melody," Raine began, " you didn't really have to..."

"Oh it's fine. It's been a while since I've had company. I would like to be a good hostess, especially for the Chosen and company."

I saw Genis give an "We told you so" look to Lloyd.

I noticed that Melody had glanced towards me several times as she spoke. Hmph...maybe she "fancied" me after all.

"Alright then! Let's go. I'm starved!" Lloyd exclaimed as he began to walk forward.

"Uh, Lloyd. Do you have any idea where you're going?" Genis remarked before Lloyd could get too far ahead.

"Right...of course. Lead the way, Melody!"

"Alright, let's go," Melody said with a smile.

I couldn't even continue my thought process on our silent walk to Melody's home. Apparently, just her being there stopped most brain activity in my mind. All I could do was stare at her while she led the way.

"So, Melody. How old are you?" Raine inquired, most likely wanting to end the awkward silence.

"Well...uh...I'm 23?" The sound in her voice was not very convincing. She sounded as if she were trying to guess her age. This struck me as very strange. I began to think I needed to look into the past of this woman.

"Do you have any family?" Lloyd asked.

"No..." Melody answered, her facing turning sad. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Raine shoot Lloyd a dirty look, which frightened Lloyd.

"Anyway...Where exactly do you live?" Lloyd said, probably trying to make up for his mistake.

"It's not too far away now. I didn't enjoy living in Asgard, so I built a my own house outside of town," Melody replied. I could have sworn I saw her eyes shine a bit. I guessed it was that she was proud of building a house.

"You built it yourself?" I asked. I had not thought she was the type of women who could help build a house at all, let alone by herself.

"Yeah. I've become handy over the years," she said, her sad face returning.

I looked down and mentally slapped myself. I must have brought up bad memories or something. I looked back to see that she had recovered. She gave me a sincere smile that caused me to flush completely, which was something I did not do often. I tried to casually look back down.

"Oh! Look everyone! I think we're here," Colette said excitedly as she pointed in a certain direction. I was very grateful for this.

All of us looked up to find a small, and seemingly cozy, house. I noticed it was placed next to a calm river. A very ideal spot. Even from here I could tell that the details crafted onto the house were that of an expert. A garden was in front of the house, with different flowers and fruits growing there. The site only made my liking for her grow. She must be more of an amazing woman than I had thought, being able to accomplish something like this...

"Wow, Melody! It's such a lovely home," Colette commented as she clasped her hands together.

"Yes. It does look rather amazing, Melody," Raine complimented.

"Thank you. I've had plenty of...time to work on it," Melody said thoughtfully. The emphasis on time made me curious. I could look more into it later.

"You may feel a bit crowded in there. You could stay outside while I make dinner if you would like. It's such a gorgeous day," Melody said thoughtfully as she looked around.

"That's OK, Melody. I really want to see inside your house!" Lloyd said, getting overly excited again.

"If that's what you would like, then, of course, come inside," Melody replied with a wide smile. That smile sure was something else...

We walked into Melody's home to find it just as appealing as the outside. Delicately crafted furniture decorated the room. A fireplace sat in the middle of the back wall, giving the house even more of a cozy feeling. On the right sat her bed and a night stand. On the left was the kitchen area, with a stove, cabinets and a table. Little items decorated the room as well. The only other room in the house was on the right, which I assumed was the restroom. (A/N: If they even had those ;P ) I still found it incredible that Melody had done all of this herself.

"Marvelous , Melody. The inside looks incredible as well," Raine said as she analyzed the room.

"Why, thank you, Raine. You guys can have a seat if you like, and I'll make us some dinner," Melody said before making her way towards the cabinets. "We're having soup and some homemade bread, if that's alright with everyone." She turned around to face us. "I'm sorry that I don't have much of anything else to eat."

"That's sounds delicious, Melody. Thank you," Colette said reassuringly.

Everyone relaxed as Melody began to prepare our meal. I, however, was the only one who could not. I had to get my mind off of everything somehow. If things continued this way, the mission could not possibly go as planned. As much as I disliked admitting to it, she was a distraction, and I needed to prevent distractions.

I decided it was best for me to continue my train of thought elsewhere. It was difficult for me to think in an enclosed place such as this. I simply slipped out the door, making sure I was swift so not to be pestered.

I made myself comfortable beside the river, the splashes of the water calming me. Now it was time to think of what I could do. I had to make sure Melody didn't get in my way of the task at hand. But, inwardly, I knew I wanted her by my side. Being torn between my cursed feelings and my duty, I knew this would be a very difficult decision. But, maybe there was a way to have both. I could possibly bring her along with us, and then still be able to finish the job. I just had to make sure my feelings didn't get in the way...

I was interrupted when I heard the door to the house close and footsteps coming towards me. I turned my head to see Melody walking to me from the corner of my eye. I felt my resolve grow weaker as she came closer and closer.

"Excuse me, Kratos?" Melody said unsurely. I couldn't help but wonder why she was talking this way. But I shouldn't have been surprised, I was a bit intimidating. I also thought I could hear nervousness in her voice as well. Maybe my intimidation was not the only reason.

I turned around to face her, feeling that that would be enough to make her continue.

"I..I'm sorry to bother you, but dinner is ready for everyone. You could come and join us if you would like," she said while giving me a friendly smile. I found her politeness quite humourous actually. Not many people acted in such a way.

I got up and began to walk back inside. I knew if I spoke I would have begun to stutter or lose control of my emotions. Though she couldn't hear my thoughts, I felt embarrassed that she caught me while I was thinking of her.

I heard her footsteps as she followed me slowly. I could feel that she seemed even more nervous, most likely not used to someone who behaved the way I do.

When I entered the house, I found everyone sitting at the table, ready to begin the meal. Lloyd and Genis were practically drooling over the food that lay before them. Raine smacked them and instructed them to wait. Melody and I took our seats at the table. It was just my luck. My seat happened to be right next to hers. Why did simple things like that always happen?...

"Well, everyone. We can begin..." Before Melody was able to finish, Lloyd and Genis began to pile food on their plate and eat. Though I found this very rude, I decided to ignore it. There were more important things to worry about.

"I am sorry for the boys' behavior, Melody," Raine apologized as everyone watched the boys eat in a disgusting manner.

"It's quite alright. I'm just glad they're enjoying it," Melody replied before beginning the meal herself.

I looked over to Colette to find her silently praying, but I chose to ignore that as well. I then began the meal myself. I tried to keep my manners, so as not to make a fool of myself in front of Melody. Part of me told myself if was not worth my time to be doing that, but I did anyway. The other part of me still wanted her to like me, and I assumed that was the part that had control over my body at the moment.

"So, Melody, how long have you been living here exactly?" Raine asked, trying beginning conversation as usual.

"A couple years I think. I don't remember exactly when though," she answered.

"Thank you very much for inviting us here. We really appreciate," Colette said after finishing most of her meal.

"Oh, it was my pleasure. I'm glad I could be of services to you on your journey. I pray you do well," Melody said with a cute smile. She was such a well-mannered person. I wondered if she acted like this all the time. But, then again, she didn't seem to have actually talked to anyone in a while, so it would be hard to tell.

We continued the rest of our meal in silence. I couldn't help glancing over to Melody every couple of seconds. She ate very delicately, as if savoring every bite. Was it possible that she did not eat often? I became concerned for a moment, but then brushed it off. I could not help it if she chose not to eat, but maybe I could check the cabinets later, just in case.

Lloyd and Genis simultaneously gave a satisfied sigh when they had completed their meal.

"Wow, Melody! That was incredible!" Lloyd exclaimed happily.

"Why thank you, Lloyd," she replied simply.

As people began finishing their meals, they excused themselves and left to chat with one another. Eventually, since I was eating unusually slow, Melody and I were the only ones at the table. I had a feeling that I should start conversation, but after a bit of internal struggle, I chose not to.

I finished the meal, excused myself, and went back outside. I had always liked the outdoors more than the indoors. Ever since I was young, which, I must say, was a very long time ago, I liked to count the stars. Even now I still do, although I am mature enough to know that I would never be able to count them all.

I tried to relax my thoughts, but relaxing them only brought them back to Melody. What a lovely name Melody was. I was fond of names that had other meanings, like Hope and Glory. I felt they made the person who owned the name significant, that they had a purpose, so they were given that particular name.

I told myself over and over again not to think of her too much. I knew she might become so much of a distraction, that I might have not been able to complete my job. That would not be good.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I jumped up. To half of my relief, it was Melody. Realizing, we had made physical contact sent nervousness into my stomach again. I do not believe she could tell, however.

"I apologize for startling you...but, I was wondering if I could join you," she asked, her nervousness completely obvious.

"If you would like," was all I could manage to say as I sat back down. She sat next to me and used her arms to pull her knees closer to her body.

"It is...a lovely night, isn't it?" She said quietly, almost as if she was talking to herself.

"Indeed, it is." When I said that, I almost added "but not as lovely as you," but I caught myself. That would have been very unlike myself. I decided this would be a good opportunity to ask her some questions I had been wondering about.

"Are you really 23 years old?" I asked flatly. With this she looked at me in a surprised manner. When she noticed the serious face I gave her, I assumed she thought it was best not to argue.

"No...I am not. And I know what you're going to ask next, so I'll just answer. To be quote honest. I don't know how old I am. I was placed into this project many, many years ago. It was weird, what they did to me. They put a crystal on me, and I lost the ability to feel anything, among other things. I remained this way until they finally took it off.

Though, under that condition, I knew I must have aged, but when I looked in the mirror, I was the age I had been before. They said the crystal had stopped the aging process and for some reason my body was functioning as though it were still on. They also said I from their analyzations I wouldn't age ever again." When she had finished she let out a sigh. I remained in silence as she spoke. I waited another moment before asking another question.

"Does that bother you...not being able to grow any older?" I asked carefully, so as not to say anything stupid.

"It did at first, but I have come to live with it. I had become handy while in that state and was able to do far more things than I could before. I tried to think of that as a benefit, but still, every once in a while it bothers me," she replied.

I could see tears began to form in her eyes, and I instinctively put a comforting arm around her. I felt myself choke up. I was not use to this, since I had not cried for a long time. I thought that it would be best to leave it at that for tonight, but she kept talking...

"That is the reason I left Asgard. I had lived there while under this state and I found out that everyone had come to fear me, even after it was over. I was practically driven out of the town, so I made myself a home here..." Melody put her head into her hands and finally let all the tears come out. I moved closer to her, making sure she knew I was there to comfort her.

"There, there," I began awkwardly, "..."

She calmed down a bit and looked up at me, right into my eyes. I almost wanted to look away, I was so embarrassed, but I did not. Her eyes were such a beautiful color. They were a very, very light green color, something I hadn't seen often.

"Thank you for listening to me, Kratos. For so many years, I have not been able to speak with anyone. There was no one I could confide my troubles..."

Before she finished her sentence, she began to giggle. This surprised me to the point where I was a bit frightened. I had never seen someone actually laugh immediately after being upset.

"I'm sorry. I've been so ridiculous; being all sorrowful and dreary. I should really be over it by now," she said with a smile. I was still confused with her behavior, but I thought nothing more of it. It was good that she was happy again.

I noticed she then had looked over to my hand and realized that it still rested upon her shoulder. This seemed to cause her to blush a shade of pink. I began to remove my arm, also turning red. Maybe it would be better if I didn't keep it there...

To my surprise, Melody grabbed my arm and put it back onto her shoulder. She looked at me and gave me the most adorable, innocent smile I had seen thus far. The slight blush on her cheeks made her even more beautiful than before, if possible. It seemed my presence comforted her greatly, as hers did for me...

_And just like that this gorgeous creature brought the true beginning of my new life in love. The feelings were back, and no matter what I told myself, there wasn't anything I could do about it..._

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Author: Finished! That one was a bit longer than I past ones. Anyhoo...Review please! Cya! 


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